What does it mean to be a born again Christian?

Regeneration is not a change of the old nature, but the introduction of a new; it is the implantation of the nature or life of the Second Adam, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, founded upon the accomplished redemption of Christ, and in full keeping with the sovereign will or counsel of God. The moment a sinner believes in his heart, and confesses with his mouth, the Lord Jesus, he becomes the possessor of a new life, and that life is Christ. He is born of God, is a child of God, is a son of the free-woman. (See Rom. 10:9; Col. 3:4; 1 John 3:1-2; Gal. 3:26; Gal. 4:31)

All proves the necessity of the great truth that man "must be born anew". The better translation is "anew" rather than "again", as in the Authorised Version. The word does not imply a modification or change of the old nature, but the impartation of a nature that is entirely new from its beginning. The word "again" is translated "from the very first", in Luke 1:3, and "from the beginning" Acts 26:5. Born anew does not mean that the Holy Spirit works on the natural man, as if He were turning a bad state into a good state; but that there is wrought in the man that which is entirely new.

Reader, there are two words in scripture, and if they do not describe you, be assured your Christianity is Christless, and your religion vain — "born again" are the words. Have you been? "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again," are the words of Him who also said, "the Son of man must be lifted up." "MUST BE BORN AGAIN." Not must be religious, or must be moral, or must turn over a new leaf (as is said), or must mend your ways, but "must be born again." What a cutting, searching word. It sets man in his best state or worst state aside altogether; it brings in a new life, a new nature. There is necessity here, for ye must be born again; such necessity that "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

And first, then, we read, "Marvel not that I said to thee, Ye must be born again." Here we have the total setting aside of man in his very best estate. If I must be born again, if I must have a new life, a new nature then it matters not in the smallest degree what I can or cannot boast of. Man, as born of a woman, enters this world with the image of his fallen parent stamped upon him. Man, as he came from the hand of his Creator, was made in the "image of God." Man, as he issues from the womb of his mother, bears the image and likeness of a fallen creature. Hence the force of our Lord's expression, "Ye must be born again." It is not said, Ye must mend, ye must try and be better, ye must alter your mode of living, ye must turn over a new leaf. Had it been thus, Nicodemus would never have asked, "How can these things be?" A man of the Pharisees would have understood any or all of these things. A change of conduct, a change of character, any moral reform, any self-improvement, is perfectly intelligible to a Pharisee of every age; but to be told "Ye must be born again" can only be understood by one who has reached the end of himself and his doings; who has been brought to see that in him, that is in his flesh, dwells no good thing; who sees himself as a thorough bankrupt without a certificate, who can never again set up on his own account. He must get a new life to which the verdict of bankruptcy cannot apply, and he must trade in the wealth of another, on which creditors have no possible claim.

It is terribly humbling to be told, even by the Lord Himself, that the flesh is flesh, and that we must be born anew, especially to those who, like the rabbi of Israel, have shot forth their religious branches and borne their religious fruit; but these few short words, "Ye must be born again," cut us down for ever. Yes, many have they laid low spiritually, many an one have they slain as regards hope in self, in works, or in the vain belief that this old Adam-life can become fit for God, or that self, purged and sanctified, can be made to live anew. "Ye must be born anew"; yes, all must be new — a new life, a new nature. It is not the old conveniently white-washed, as the hypocrites advance; nor the old repaired and decorated, as moralists would have it; nor yet the fair garment of self-righteousness wrought out by a man on earth, that others would present to us; nor yet, again, the old changed and renovated by the Holy Ghost, as some say. No; it is what the word of God declares, "new creation." (Gal. 6:15.)

is a term commonly used to convey concisely the truth brought out in the beginning of John 3, namely, that a man's origin spiritually must be of God's work in him if he is to come under the moral sway of God in grace. This is specially the point in the conversation of the Lord with Nicodemus: "Except a man be born again [ἄνωθεν, not only again, but 'anew,' a new source and beginning], he cannot see the kingdom of God." "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God": that is, born of the Holy Spirit as the power, and of water (the word) as the means of moral cleansing. "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." James 1:18: cf. Eph. 5:26. "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit:" it is of the nature of its source — spiritual and not natural.

The Lord explains Himself. Two things were necessary — to be born of water, and of the Spirit. Water cleanses. And, spiritually, in his affections, heart, conscience, thoughts, actions, etc., man lives, and in practice is morally purified, through the application, by the power of the Spirit, of the word of God, which judges all things, and works in us livingly new thoughts and affections. This is the water; it is withal the death of the flesh. The true water which cleanses in a christian way came forth from the side of a dead Christ. He came by water and blood, in the power of cleansing and of expiation. He sanctifies the assembly by cleansing it through the washing of water by the word. "Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." It is therefore the mighty word of God which, since man must be born again in the principle and source of his moral being, judges, as being death, all that is of the flesh. But there is in fact the communication of a new life; that which is born of the Spirit is spirit, is not flesh, has its nature from the Spirit. It is not the Spirit — that would be an incarnation; but this new life is spirit. It partakes of the nature of its origin. Without this, man cannot enter into the kingdom. But this is not all. If it was a necessity for the Jew, who already was nominally a child of the kingdom, for here we deal with what is essential and true, it was also a sovereign act of God, and consequently it is accomplished wherever the Spirit acts in this power. "So is every one that is born of the Spirit." This in principle opens the door to the Gentiles.

In the language of Scripture the unregenerate man is only "flesh," and in order that he may be led into the paths of true blessing and righteousness he must be born again (John 3:3). When this takes place there is a new principle of being, a new life and nature within, which had no existence there before. This is what the Lord referred to when He said: "that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." It is connection with this new life and nature, and not "the flesh," that the Holy Spirit subsequently works.

In proof of this, attention may be directed to this simple word, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God." (1 John 5:1) The fact of the new birth is made dependent, not upon whether this or that fruit of the Spirit can be detected in us; but solely and entirely upon this one thing — whether we believe that Jesus is the Christ. How blessedly simple! On the day of Pentecost, Peter proclaimed that God had made that same Jesus, whom the Jews had crucified, both Lord and Christ. The Jesus who was once here on earth is now declared, on divine testimony, to be the Christ of God. He was ever that while on earth, but He is now presented in this character in a new way, as the rejected of man, and as risen out of death, and seated at the right hand of God. Jesus is the Christ, and whoever bows to this testimony, and receives it in his heart as true, is born of God. Instead, therefore, of looking within for proofs of the new birth the attention should be directed to this one simple question, Do I believe that Jesus is the Christ?*

It is the sovereign act of God (John 1:13; James 1:18), by means of His Spirit and His word (John 3:5; 1. Pet.1:23), implanting a capacity within a man which renders him capable of seeing God’s rights and his obligations to them (John 3:3) and which causes him to crave a deliverance which can only be met by the knowledge of the redemptive work of Christ, and the power of the Spirit (1 Peter 1:2; Rom. 7:24; 8,2).

This new capacity is called in Scripture a “seed” (1 John 3:9). It is planted with the objective of producing fruit (James 1:18).